Before today I considered myself a pickle-neurotic. This is because a couple of years ago, determined to make Lebanese pickled turnips, I consulted about three cookbooks, five websites, and two living pickle-makers. But in the end I just didn't feel confident that the turnips would be botulism-free, so sick with guilt about the wastage and frustrated by my own neurosis, I threw all five jars of them away. Well, I threw the turnips away and kept the jars and called myself loser far too many times.

So I was determined to learn how to make pickles properly, under the guidance of someone who knew. Enter the fabulous concept of Community Kitchens. By searching for Canning, I found the amazing Alice, who lives three blocks from me and knows almost everything there is to know about preserving food. She also knows a lot about gardening and cooking, and she is generous with her time, her knowledge, and her kitchen. This morning I joined her group. Six women, one occasionally-present-and-extremely-helfpul man, one less-helpful-but-very-entertaining baby boy, two dogs and two cats gathered to make dill pickles, bread and butter pickles and pickled beets.

In the end we put up a few jars of pickled onions too, which are going to be fantastic on grilled cheese sandwiches. Doing something like this with a group of people is a wonderful experience. The work goes quickly as you make new friends and bond together with the best glue I know of: food.

And this Autumn, when turnips are plentiful, I shall pickle again. And this time I will be entirely confident about them, because Alice has shared her knowledge and I know how to do it right!